Design

NCARB Endorses Licensure Upon Graduation

Internships and licensing exams would become a part of architecture curriculum.

The path to licensure in the U.S. could get drastically shorter. In an unprecedented move today, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) announced its endorsement of a new, structured path to licensure that would bring internship and exam requirements into the curriculum of National Architectural Accrediting Board–accredited institutions in order to license students upon graduation.

“This additional path to licensure is another concrete step to re-imagining and re-configuring each part of the process while upholding the rigorous standards needed to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare,” NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong said in a statement.

Still conceptual, the proposal was put forward by NCARB’s volunteer Licensure Task Force, which was formed in 2013 to recommend architect registration standards and is made up of licensed architects, academics, and licensing board representatives. The task force will develop a framework for the architect-at-graduation program.

In its statement, NCARB said the task force will now begin identifying colleges and universities that are interested in participating in the program with a formal request for interest in October and a request for proposals in January 2015.

The Board's official resolution is as follows:

"The Board of Directors endorses the concept of an additional, structured path to licensure that may lead to licensure upon graduation. This additional path will integrate current education, experience, and examination requirements and requires a collaborative partnership with institutions offering NAAB-accredited programs, our Member Boards, students, and firms."

ARCHITECT will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.